Drugs

A drug is a chemical substance that acts on the brain and nervous system, 
changing a person’s mood, emotion or state of consciousness. Drugs are illegal
and can be incredibly unpredictable.

Drugs are often classified by the effect they have:

• Stimulants, such as cocaine, make people feel full of energy.
• Depressants (or sedatives), such as heroin, make people feel relaxed.
• Hallucinogens, such as LSD, make people see, feel or hear things that are not real.

Drug misuse is when a person regularly takes one or more drugs to change their mood, emotion or state of consciousness. There are many reasons that you might begin taking drugs. The most common reason is peer pressure.

You might find that if your friends take drugs they will put you under pressure to do the same. If this is the case then they are not good friends to have because they are trying to make you do something that is bad for you and that you don't want to do.

As hard as it might be to do - just say no and try and walk away. If you really don't want to do something you need to have the strength and self-confidence to resist what your friends are saying.

If you still feel under pressure and are finding it hard to cope with, talk to someone you trust such as your parent or carer, an older brother or sister or a teacher. This can help you to feel much better about the situation and help you to prepare in case you are faced with anymore negative peer pressure.

Different classes of drugs

Illegal drugs fall into one of three classes. These categories are decided by the strength of the drugs and the affects that they can have on people.

The three categories are as follows:

• Class A - Cocaine, heroin, LSD, magic mushrooms
• Class B - Amphetamines, Cannabis
• Class C - Anabolic steroids

Each of these drugs can be taken in different ways and they will all have a different effect on you. For example some powders such as cocaine and amphetamines are snorted or swallowed and give you a high that lasts for a short time, whilst tablets like ecstasy give you a feeling of complete euphoria that last a lot longer.

However, you need to remember - after the high comes the low!

Most drugs have a comedown which can make you feel very tired, very depressed and even very agitated and unable to sleep. This is not very glamorous and not fun at all. For an A-Z list of drugs, visit www.talktofrank.com

The law on drugs

If you are found possessing or supplying illegal drugs you could find yourself
in serious trouble and the more serious the drug, the more serious the
punishment you could be looking at. Below are the types of punishments you
could be looking at for each class of drugs:

Class A
Possession = 7 years imprisonment or an unlimited fine, or both
Supply = Life imprisonment or an unlimited fine, or both

Class B
Possession = 5 years imprisonment or an unlimited fine, or both
Supply = 14 years imprisonment or an unlimited fine, or both

Class C
Possession = 2 years imprisonment or an unlimited fine, or both
Supply = 14 years imprisonment or an unlimited fine, or both

It is also illegal to drive a car while under the influence of any drug. If the police catch you, you could be looking at a heavy fine, disqualification from driving or even prison in extreme cases.

Legal drugs

Under British law, most drugs are illegal. However, some drugs are legal, including: Caffeine, Alcohol  and Cigarettes

If a drug is legal, that does not mean it is harmless. In England each year, cigarettes and alcohol kill more people than all illegal drugs put together. For more information, please visit our smoking and alcohol sections. Prescription medication such as strong painkillers or tranquillisers, are often misused by people who have no clinical need for it but use it for its mood-altering effects. In many cases, it is illegal to possess certain types of prescription medication, such as morphine or methadone, without a valid prescription.

Risks to health

The health problems associated with taking drugs can vary greatly depending
on what type of drug you are using.

Luckily, if you feel that you or someone close to you is becoming dependent on drugs there is plenty of
support and help available. Have a look in the 'Who can help' section for more details.

As well as the danger of addiction, drug misuse has serious health risks and is associated with a wide
range of conditions and complications, both physical and psychological. For example, cocaine can
cause heart failure and heroin can cause respiratory failure (loss of normal lung function), both of which
can be fatal. Each year in England and Wales, an estimated 2,000 deaths are caused by illegal drug abuse.

If a person uses a needle to inject drugs, they have a high risk of catching a serious blood-borne infection, such as HIV or hepatitis C. The Department of Health estimates that, in England, 90% of all cases of hepatitis C and 6% of all HIV cases are caused by injecting drugs. Above all, remember that the best way of not running the risk of letting a drug hurt you is by not getting involved with them in the first place.

Who can help?

If you or someone close to you is taking drugs and you are becoming concerned in anyway, there are people that you can turn to for help.

If you feel that you can't talk to your family or friends about it you can always talk in confidence to you GP who will be able to give you lots of support and advice about how you can stop. For straight talking information and advice on the effects and risks associated with taking drugs or are worried about someone else, FRANK can help. Visit www.talktofrank.com or phone 0800 77 66 00, minicom 0800 917 8765

Turning Point is a social care organisation working with individuals and their communities across England and Wales in many areas including drug misuse. Visit Turning Point at www.turning-point.co.uk

NHS Direct has information on drug misuse, how to recognise the signs, symptoms and information on the dangers involved.

The BBC Onelife website also contains lots of information on drugs and the potential effects and health risks of each one. Visit their site at www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/onelife/health/index.shtml?drugs#topics

You can speak to a Personal Adviser at your local Connexions Centre. To find your local centre click on the Local Services or check out your local phone book. You can contact a Connexions Direct Adviser by phoneon 080 800 13 2 19, by text on 07766 4 13 2 19, by textphone 08000 968 336, by adviser online or by email.